


Assumptions We Base Upon Pride

by Kiyara_Iris



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Coming Out, Fluff and Smut, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-29
Updated: 2019-05-29
Packaged: 2020-03-29 11:11:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19018735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiyara_Iris/pseuds/Kiyara_Iris
Summary: 'So, when his teammates, at 1 in 4 Samwell, had automatically assumed he was straight and a bit of a homophobic asshole, that same -probably not entirely healthy- pleasure in the eventual shake-down of their carelessly constructed axioms had taken root, and he’d kept quiet. 'Will chooses not to come out his first year at Samwell.





	Assumptions We Base Upon Pride

**Author's Note:**

> Needed to finish something fluffy and light after 'To Build Sandcastles Out of You'. Enjoy ^_^

 

               Will doesn’t come out his first year at Samwell.

               High school had conditioned him to be able to reflexively bounce away questions about his sexuality. It had never even been about embarrassment or fear back then, but high schoolers were little shits and Will had had enough problems with his anger to not want to deal with how bad retaliation might be if someone went after him personally for him preferring men. It didn’t mean he hadn’t vented some of that frustration on homophobic asses in the name of his peers however.

               There had been more out LGBTQ+ members in his freshman class than the rest of the school combined, and they had been immediately targeting for low-level hazing. The first time a trans boy in his class had come to school with a split lip--Will had seen red. It wasn’t about understanding about being trans, because he’d been young and thought the whole thing was kind of weird (he reevaluated those thoughts later after extensive research and conversations with the same boy); it was about someone thinking they had the right to turn abusive over someone else’s harmless life choices. So, the trans boy had a split lip, but the guy who’d given it to him had two black eyes and a broken hand by the end of the school day. The asshole had been too scared to tell the teachers who had done it, but Will’s name had gotten around quick enough.

               It had been easier for Will to retaliate than any of the others- he had hit 6 foot by 9th grade and played enough sports and worked arduous jobs over the years to be lean, but athletic. He was quick, strong and had no fear of fighting. Sometimes sneering comments got thrown at him, but just scowling at the offender was usually enough to send them off, and after winning every fight that got thrown at him by his sophomore year, even that stopped. There had been enough assumptions about him he might as well have come out, but there was something so viciously satisfying in saying he was straight and still supportive of the LGBTQ+ community that he didn’t want to shatter that illusion for a while. His favorite line became,

               “I may not like dick, but at least I know how to not be one,” it almost should have been his yearbook quote. His friends -both in and out of the community- that actually knew he was gay thought it was hilarious and helped bolster the idea by spreading rumors of the fake girls he dated from other schools. But by senior year, he was ready to mindfuck people in a different way and just started throwing around comments about which boys were cute, what kind of man he wanted to marry etc. and watched the shrapnel fly.

               He came out to his parents the same year with little to no fanfare. One of his uncle’s was gay, one of the female cousin’s bi, it wasn’t something earthshattering, but he still knew his parents well enough to think of counterarguments to their confusion and hesitancy.

               To his father’s,

               “What, are you gonna be a liberal now?” He replied:

               “Who I date doesn’t change my stance on being fiscally conservative and state’s rights to autonomy.” Of course, he had no way of knowing that four years at Samwell (and learning about what kind of men and mindset Edmund Burke and his predecessors were) would lead him to becoming an Independent, with enough knowledge that the years of arguments that followed made his father ridiculously proud anyway.

               To his mother’s,

               “Don’t you want children?” He’d simply asked,

               “If I was your daughter and unable to conceived, would you think less of me for adopting?” And that was that in the Poindexter household. He knew some of the family still talked behind his back, but his out and proud uncle had confided that Will’s father had called a few times to pick his brain about what being openly homosexual was like and what he could do to be more supportive. And then, had come across his mother on the phone saying,

               “Well at least _my_ son wasn’t arrested for drunk driving Tilda!” To his aunt Matilda, and knew he was luckier than he had any right to expect.

               So, when his teammates, at 1 in 4 Samwell, had automatically assumed he was straight and a bit of a homophobic asshole, that same -probably not _entirely_ healthy- pleasure in the eventual shake-down of their carelessly constructed axioms had taken root, and he’d kept quiet.

              

               But halfway through the first semester of his sophomore year, with midterms chipping away at his nerves, his roommate’s slovenly habits wreaking hell with his sanity, and Ransom and Holster trying to force another date for the Winter Screw on him (while Derek _fucking_ Nurse looked stupidly delicious on the other side of the Haus’s kitchen table)… yeah- it was time.

               “Ransom…” He paused to dig his palms into his eyes to try and find a shred of calm, breathing in the warm scent of apple pie that Bitty was masterpiecing instead of studying for his own midterms, and tried to let some of the tension release.

               “Dex, man! You gotta let your captains do this for you! You didn’t even stay long last year!” Right.

               Last year.

               When they’d set him up with a small girl from the soccer team without consulting him about anything beyond hair color and interests. Will let a smirk cross his face, tamping down the bubbling anticipation.

               “Alright fine. But can you at least set me up with a guy this time so I have some chance of actually wanting to sleep with them?” Absolute, _beautiful_ , devastated silence of minds ripping apart descended around him. God, he shouldn’t be so happy about this, he genuinely liked these guys- even hipster, unfairly gorgeous, poems-evoke-our-deepest-blah-blah Nursey. Still though, served them right. Will wanted to dance on the corpses of all the remarks about “republican homophobia” and “small-town mindset”.

               “You like guys?” Will finally took his hands away from his face to look at Nursey, who was still buried in his book not making eye contact, his body melting into the chair in his carefully constructed ‘chillaxed’ posture. It all screamed how much that admission had sucker punched him. Will let his smirk widen, cocking an eyebrow.

               “Pretty sure that was what was implied,” He dropped his voice a touch, “but I can say it again slower if you’d like.” And, fuck yes! The way Nursey’s eyes flickered up to him in surprise - scowling, confused and just a touch apprehensive. Will had been waiting for over a _year_ to meld his chirping with sarcastic flirting and the reality was so, _so_ sweet.

               “Good for you sweetie!” Bitty finally broke in, breaking their staring contest. “I’m gonna bake you a congratulations pie -blueberry, your favorite right?” Will shot Bitty a thankful smile. Out of the entire team, he was the only one that had never judged Will harshly on where he was from, likely because of his own experience coming from a place where hiding yourself behind a persona was just easier.

               “But, brah!” Ransom cried out a little desperately. “We have you down as straight!” Rans was running through their complicated date/hookup reference notes and Will felt a little guilty messing so astoundingly with part of his captain’s ecosystem. He shrugged.

               “You guys never actually asked.” Holster face-palmed.

               “Thank fuck Shitty’s not here for this moment.” Rans was looking at him with wide, apologetic eyes and, yeah ok, that was definitely guilt creeping in.

               “I, uh, still like brunettes and people who are into 70’s rock if that helps.” That seemed to snap something in Nursey because he slammed his book shut, all pretenses to chill evaporated.

               “But that thing you said about Bitty, during the Taddy tour!” Wow, Nursey was looking really intense now and Will had no idea what he was talking about. He shot a look over to Bitty where he was paused over the pie, looking just as surprised, shrugging when he met Will’s eyes. Something must have showed on his face because Nursey went on. “Yeah you said, like, Jack Zimmerman went here and you thought guys would be less- good at baking, if we “knew what you meant”. Like, that was totally a homophobic comment! Are you selectively out and just choose to act like a straight asshole?” Will blinked. Yeah, now he remembered saying that and, ok he could definitely see how that sounded.

               “No ok, yeah I said that. It wasn’t ‘cause Bit’s is gay, it was cause he’s all cute and soft!” He winced, feeling a deep flush take to his cheeks as Holster called “aaawww!” and Derek stared, eyes bugging out. He shot Bitty an apologetic look, but the blonde was blushing -his cheeks pink as he fiddled with the pie crust- and waved him off.

               “Thank you, sweetie. And honestly, checking still scares the hell outta me. If I wasn’t so fast, I wouldn’t stand a chance.” That was exactly what Dex had thought when he’d first met him and been so impressed with his speed, he’d shut up the other frogs who’d given him a hard time at not being able to take a hit.

               “I just thought only super jocks would be vying for places on a college hockey team. You know, meatheads who think hockey and college are all drinking and pussy.” He holds up his hand to forestall Holster’s ‘Dude!’. “Which yeah, I see how that’s still not an ok stereotype considering I don’t even fall into that category, but also, Jack’s famous about nutrition and health, I was honestly surprised he’d let someone who baked constantly near his team. No offense Bits.” But Bitty was laughing outright now.

               “You know, at first, I thought that was one of the reasons he didn’t like me!” He watched Bitty’s gaze lose focus, turning gentle while brushing egg whites over the pie absentmindedly.

               “You’re a republican!” Holy shit, Nursey was basically yelling now, so completely discomposed the initial thrill of setting his teammates on their asses about his sexuality was over and Will was edging into the type of anger he hadn’t felt since the early days in high school.

               “Wow Nurse, show your binary colors a little brighter. You do know there are republican politicians who support gay rights, right? It may not be the majority, but there’s plenty and also, there do exist democrats who don’t.” Nursey scowled, opened his mouth and suddenly Will didn’t want to hear anything else out of Nursey. Emotions were bubbling to the surface- ones he’d suppressed harder than any others in his entire life of compartmentalizing-because above all he had wanted to get along with Nursey as best he could. But now, everything was in the open and ok, there were some fresh wounds in there from how hard he’d shoved everything down.

               He, liked Nursey. _Really_ liked him. Liked that he got to see his normal state outside of perpetual chill, liked the frantic energy he exuded over poetry and passages he really enjoyed, liked the fucking gorgeous hockey he played and how unafraid he was to let his pretty face take hard hits. Nursey was one of the most open, engaging people Will had ever met and seeing him so narrow-minded about this was honestly devastating.

               “My political alignments are about more than just gay rights! There’s policies about business, education and foreign politics and yeah, some republican asshats get more airtime for bigoted soundbites, but I’m not going to just abandon my beliefs because of a few jackasses!” Nursey’s eyes are stunned at this point and there’s more silence until Bitty breaks in with a placating tone.

               “I’m not the least bit political, but both my mama and coach are republican and…while I know they’re not all great people, I know they’re not all bad.” Will shoots Bitty a grateful look, but quickly looks back when Nursey tries to choke out words.

               “I’m not…it’s just…”

               “You got a problem with me being a republican, or me being _gay_ Nurse?” Will knew that wasn’t true, knew he was pushing, but something was swirling around Nursey’s features that seemed…appalled, and Will wanted so bad to know it wasn’t _him_ he was disgusted with. And, ok, yeah now Nursey was furious.

               “What-? Fuck no! I’m bi, I don’t give a shit you’re gay! And dude, whatever, vote for who-fucking ever!” Nursey was panting, more riled up than Will had ever seen him. God he shouldn’t…but Nursey had never been this flustered, boring his eyes directly into Will’s-

               “Oh, so I guess you’re mad cause now you can’t talk about my narrow-minded, homophobic rhetoric on the sly?” Bingo. Nursey’s cheeks darkened -if he’d been Will’s coloring, he would have been completely red- his eyes flashing a liquid fire that scorched Will’s breath away. He swallowed, bracing his body for some kind of fight. But Nursey simply grabbed his book and fled the room, gone before Will could even process.

               “Dex-” Bitty started, admonishing and upset sounding.

               “Don’t think I’ll feel guilty Bitty. I know what Nursey says behind my back. He saw a white republican from small town New England and assumed some shit. We all do it.” Fuck, was he actually defending Nursey? He scowled.

               Holster cleared his throat. “Look, Dex-” But Will cut him off with a hand gesture. Holst looked troubled and Ransom looked heartbroken and he just-

               “It’s fine really. I knew what everyone thought and, didn’t say anything, which was actually pretty shitty of me, so yeah, sorry.” Nursey’s flushed cheeks flashed into his mind and Will felt an uncomfortable ache hollowing out his chest. He grabbed his stuff, gave some stupid excuses to the attempts to start conversations and escaped back to his dorm, completely unable to ignore the building feeling that he needed to apologize.

               He was painfully coming to the realization that he wasn’t the same person he’d been in high school.

****************** 

               Will managed to turn off the constant replay of Nursey’s words and facial expressions enough to finish his homework for the night, switching over to the mindlessness of Stardew Valley, a secret pleasure he would clean the LAX bathroom (the _really_ shitty one) before admitting to. He’d do it in a French maid costume before admitting to his wooing of the insipid Elliot was because, well…he wrote, and liked poetry and-

               Will wasn’t thinking about it.

               The knock at his door wasn’t unexpected. It was 8pm on a Tuesday and it wasn’t unusual for one of his floormates to stop by with an invitation to a late-night Xbox tourny or donut run, or even just hang out in Will’s single because they had been sexiled.

               “One sec!” He sent his character “Will” to bed to save the game, snapped the laptop shut and whipped open the door. His throat closed into such a tight clench he choked on the breath he was drawing in.

               It was Nursey.

               Will couldn’t help the tension that automatically set into his shoulders and watched Nursey’s eyes track the motion.

               “I’m sorry.” Will raised his eyebrows. Ok--that’s not what he was expecting.

               “Wait…just -come in Nurse.” He stepped back, watching Nursey sidle in, hands in his pockets, shoulders slumped in their usual careless posture, but his face looked tight and troubled. Something in Will was breaking, twisting horribly.

               “Dex, I-”

               “Nurse hang on.” He gestured towards his desk chair, grateful when his d-partner took it automatically, hands coming out to run distractedly along his thighs. Will sat on the edge of his mattress, bracing elbows on his knees, trying to find a place to start. And it was painful, but he knew that to fix this thing between them, all the problems that had ever arisen between them, was to start at the beginning.

               “I knew I was gay when I was 8 and it always made me feel separate and angry.” Nursey’s eyebrows shoot up, but he stays quiet, so Will keeps going. “I didn’t know it was something I could tell people and by the time I did know, I didn’t want to deal with the few homophobic assholes where I grew up and my parents…they challenge everything and I just-didn’t have the confidence that I could argue how I knew I was gay. I figured out later that was kind of stupid of me, but back then, it hurt so much that when I hit high school, I was just angry all the time…”

 

               Will finally stopped speaking after a while, unable to look away from Nursey’s intense, focused gaze. It was the same look that drew Nurse’s face tight when he was trying to understand a passage he was reading for the first time. When Nursey finally broke his gaze, Will felt it like a connection snapping -not separating, but slackening to something more relaxed.

               “I’ve spent more time with nannies than my own parents.” Will blinked, his empathy a quick flash of searing pain -lighting him up at the thought of living that kind of life. “It wasn’t even that they didn’t love me, but they were so busy and tired I don’t think they really noticed how little time we were together.” Will went very still. He didn’t know what he’d been expecting in response, but it hadn’t included Nursey baring such intimate details of his life. He knew it wasn’t that Derek was trying to undermine his own story, but attempting to bridge the yawning chasm between them.

               “Most of my nannies were Hispanic or Middle Eastern, so I never felt like I didn’t belong. Until I went to Andover. I was one of two kids of color. The first person who spoke to me that I didn’t want to punch in the teeth was Shitty. It was…just they were all the fucking same Dex!” Nursey shoved a hand through his hair. His beautiful, curly hair that no white kid would ever have to deal with, something completely different from themselves, something they could use to pull Nursey to shreds. Will shifted forward, as if closer proximity would help. Maybe Nursey had the same idea, because his agitated movement sent the desk chair closer to the bed.

               “I was half black, half gay---half a fucking person.” Will moved so quickly into indignation he went dizzy from the gallop his heart took off in.

               “You’re not half a person Nurse, you’re fucking incredible!” Nursey’s eyes went wide, a bright smile startled onto his face.

               “I know that Poindexter. But thanks.” Will grumped a little, crossing his arms defensively. “I came to Samwell cause it’s everything Andover wasn’t, so when…when I met you, I just automatically assumed you were like all of them. That…that of course you would hate me.” That was just- Will stood up quickly and Nursey automatically did the same, his smile twisting into something more contrite.

               It wasn’t really something Will thought about beforehand, stepping forward into Nursey’s personal space, but then his arms were threading around Nurse’s back and he wasn’t fucking prepared when he felt strong arms circling him, pressing him forward into a tight embrace.

               It wasn’t a bro hug, there was no back pounding or chirping. It was barely a friend hug- not with how Nursey buried his face into Will’s neck, not when one of Will’s hands swept up to cup around the back of his head, and especially not with how long it was going on for. The minutes were strolling by and they were still clinging together, shifting their curves to get impossibly closer. Will sighed, finally letting his face burrow into Nursey’s shoulder, breathing in the rich scent of his expensive soap and cologne clinging to his unfairly beautiful skin.

               If he was going to get this, he was going to enjoy it.

               “Dex-” The sound was huffed warmly against his neck and Will couldn’t repress the shiver, his hands tightening their grip. Nursey was pulling back and Will let him go, but he didn’t go far. Just enough to turn, green eyes close and soft. There was a moment, when Will breathed in and it was hot and rich, tasting of Nurse’s mouth, shaping his _name_ ,

               “William, I-” Will groaned, letting the swelling want drive him forward, blindly insisting his mouth onto Nursey’s. He swallowed Derek’s surprised intake with his lips, followed closely by his tongue because he needed that heat and spice in his throat- to suck it from Derek’s mouth like sustenance.

               Their bodies were twisting together, moving slow and chaotic, glorying in the details of muscle beneath cloth, the electric heat of skin. Jesus, Will wanted to come in his jeans to not have to stop touching Derek for the logistics of getting naked. He didn’t even notice they were moving until his legs hit the mattress of his bed and he pulled Derek down with him, rolling his body to tuck it beneath his own.

               He pulled back, bracing his weight on one elbow. Looking down at Derek, half-lidded and panting, he came to a decision.

               “I like you Derek, I like you so fucking much.” Within the catch of Derek’s wondering gaze, Will could not think of a single reason that kept him from this before. His pride was nothing, his fear was meaningless; here, his heart was finally calming.

               “ _Will_.” Derek’s voice was completely choked with emotion, but instead of voicing them he pulled Will back to his lips and it was enough of an answer. The heat between them quickly slid to the edge of frantic. He twisted his hips desperately into Derek’s, feeling the line of him hard against the thigh he had braced between his legs. He wanted to keep going, he wanted them to be naked, he wanted to watch Derek come- fuck he really wanted them both to come.

               He pulled away and felt his confidence soar when Derek whined, chasing his mouth. He nosed around the man’s sharp, stubbled jaw, licking into the warm skin.

               “What do you want Derek?” Will felt the body beneath him move, writhing sensually and almost without purpose.

               “I want your hands all over me.” Oh fuck.

               Will immediately sat up, whipping his shirt over his head, helping the other man quickly struggle out of his own. When Derek then went immediately to his own belt, fumbling with the clinking metal Will groaned, working off his pants and his underwear in one go.

               “Oh fuck, oh fuck-” Derek chanted as he watched Will put all of himself on display. He straddled Derek’s thighs, smirking when he noticed the other man had left his underwear on.

               “Feelin’ shy Nurse?” He ran a teasing finger along the line of his waistband. The man under him smirked, crossing his arms behind his head and relaxing back into the bed.

               “Waiting for you to take them off Dexy. Kind of enjoying the view for the moment.” Will grinned, running a hand down his chest, over the planes of his abs, enjoying the way Derek’s eyes helplessly followed the movement.

               “Oh yeah? Like lookin’ at me?” He circled his hand around his cock, groaning at how fucking good that felt. Derek’s eyes narrowed, his breath punching out of his lungs, his eyes hungry and fixated exactly where Will wanted them. He licked his palm, reaching back down to grip himself, sliding his hand slowly up and back down, teasing them both.

               “I’ve thought about you doing this.” He husked out, loving the way Derek shivered. “Thought about your big hands cupping me through my jeans, taking me out and jacking me off…” Derek brought his hands out from behind his head, smoothing them lightly along Will’s trembling thighs. This time, it was Will who shivered.

               “You think about me like that often?” Will groaned, moving his hand faster.

               “All the fucking time.” Derek’s grip tightened, digging thumbs into the crease of Will’s hips, brushing just barely against the soft underbelly of his balls and his hips juddered wildly.

               “Fuck, come here.” Derek’s hands shoot down, dragging his underwear to the middle of his thighs before gripping Will’s hips, moving him fully into his lap, pulling his mouth down for a kiss and finally, Will can get his hands all over that delicious brown skin.

               Their thrusts became desperate, and Will loved the hard, warm catch of Derek’s cock against his own. He felt fingers touching at his mouth and he pulled back, letting Derek dip his fingers briefly inside. He felt fingers tangle in his hair, encouraging him to move his mouth all over Derek’s hand, joined by his mouth soon after, their tongues sliding across rough skin and each other, lips tightly swollen and spit viscous with arousal.

               Derek pulled his hand away so they can kiss again and Will nearly bucked himself off of Derek’s lap when his spit-soaked hand wrapped around them both, sliding around to get them completely wet before gripping tight and starting to jerk them off together.

               Will thrust his hips a little desperately, panting and shuddering breath into Derek’s slack mouth. It was so good, so much more than he thought it was going to be and he was so close, so fucking soon.

               “Derek, Derek, I’m gonna come.” In answer Derek latched his mouth onto the sensitive skin of his neck and Will was clenching into his orgasm before his next breath, pulsing within that tight still-moving grip, letting the overstimulation rob him of the ability to open his eyes or articulate thought.

               Just when the sensations were edging into the extreme side of too much Derek let out a delicious series of grunts and Will looked down in time to see him shooting long ropes of come between them. He groaned, thrusting a few more times into Derek’s fist to help him chase the sensations.

               Derek finally pulled his hand away, collapsing back onto the bed and Will curled forward against his chest, reveling in the smell of sex and Nursey.

               “I’m so glad you’re gay.” Will burst into laughter, joy lighting up all inside him. He moved to slide down Derek’s body, tongue trailing through the mess he’d joyfully helped make, enjoying the embarrassing mewling whines he was drawing out of the other man.

               “That mean you like me?” He’d meant it to be teasing, but Derek’s eyes snapped open and he slowly sat up. Will tried to back off, but was pulled in to straddle his lap again. When Derek kissed him, there was lingering heat yes, but it was all tinged in comfort and intensely slow. He was almost embarrassed that when they separate, he was panting as hard as he’d been after he’d come.  

               “Will, I’ve basically been on the verge of being in love with you since last year. You kind of destroyed my last safety net in the kitchen today.” Will buried his face into Derek’s shoulder, scrabbling his hands around to grip at his solid, warm back. They sat like that, sharing caresses and kisses, letting their feelings spill through the heat running between and over them. Finally, Will pulled back to lean his forehead against Derek’s.

               “Go to Winter Screw with me.” Derek grinned, bussing their noses together.

               “Sure, you don’t want the read out of Ran’s new spreadsheets? Could be he found your dream guy.” Will laughed.

               “Nurse, spare me the need to point out the obvious and just say yes.” Oh god, the puppy dog eyes. That was going to be something he would have to brace himself against in the future or Nurse was gonna own him.

               And the thought of that just made him deliriously happy. He smothered his smile in Derek’s shoulder and sighed.

               “I already found him.”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I don't want to claim that Dex wasn't actually being homophobic with his remarks in the comics, this is merely a spin on those remarks as it would suit William in this version.


End file.
